In the main event, “Showtime” Shawn Porter will defend his IBF 147-pound crown against British banger Kell Brook. Plus, WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika will risk his 168-pound belt in a rematch against unbeaten Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell, and undefeated Omar “Panterita” Figueroa Jr. will defend his WBC Lightweight World Championship against mandatory challenger Daniel “Tremendo” Estrada. The tripleheader airs live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
Before the trio of world title fights gets underway, undefeated heavyweight knockout sensation and WBC Continental Americas Champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder will be opposed by Jason Gavern in a 10-round scrap on SHOWTIME EXTREME® (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). In the opening bout, former two-division world champ Jorge “Niño De Oro” Linares faces Ira Terry in an eight-round lightweight match.
Time permitting, unbeaten Lydell Rhodes will take on Bayamon, Puerto Rico’s John Nader in an eight round welterweight matchup and Irish prospect Jason Quigley will take on Tijuana’s Fernando Najara in a four round middleweight bout on SHOWTIME EXTREME.
Also in action tomorrow will be 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic Breazeale, local favorite Alan Sanchez, 2012 Olympic Gold medalist for Great Britain Luke Campbell, fellow British star Callum Smith and Argentina’s Fabian Maidana.
The next in line to face WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne, Alabama’s Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KOs) is not sitting idle while he awaits his shot at championship gold. He looks to follow-up his 96-second demolition of Malik Scott in March with another spectacular win. The most impressive knockout artist in boxing today, the 28-year-old has yet to be extended past the fourth round.
Hoping to derail the “Wilder Express” will be seasoned veteran Jason Gavern (25-16-4, 11 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. Winner of four of his last five bouts, most recently a victory over James Toney last November, the 37-year-old knows that with an upset of Wilder, he will make headlines around the boxing world and set himself up for an even bigger fight.
In the eight-round SHOWTIME EXTREME opener, former two-division world champion Jorge Linares(36-3, 23 KOs) continues his move toward a world title shot when he faces Ira Terry. Winner of five straight, including a March win over Nihito Arakawa in a WBC Lightweight Title elimination bout, the 28-year-old Venezuelan is expected to get a shot at the Figueroa-Estrada winner if triumphant on Saturday.
Memphis, Tenn. veteran Ira Terry (26-11, 16 KOs) has no plans on being a stepping stone for Linares, and coming off of wins in three of his last four fights, Terry has the focus and form to stun Linares and put a dent in his championship hopes.
A multi-sport athlete growing up who has also competed in both boxing and mixed martial arts professionally, Oklahoma City welterweight Lydell Rhodes (21-0, 10 KOs) will risk his unbeaten record in an eight-round matchup with Puerto Rican power puncher John Nater (13-6, 10 KOs),of Bayamon, P.R.
Former Irish amateur and newly signed Golden Boy Promotions star Jason Quigley (1-0, 1 KO) needed just 82 seconds to win his pro debut over Howard Reece in July, and the 23-year-old is making a quick turnaround to get back in the ring to face Fernando Najera (1-3) of Tijuana, Mexico in a six-round middleweight bout.
In heavyweight action, 2012 U.S. Olympian Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale (11-0, 10 KOs) will be fighting for the fourth time in 2014, and after big wins over Nagy Aguilera and Devin Vargas, he hopes to keep his hot streak going in an eight-round clash against tough Utah native Billy Zumbrun (27-13-1, 16 KOs), who has won four of his last five.
Stablemates of headliner Kell Brook, lightweight Luke Campbell (6-0, 4 KOs) and super middleweightCallum Smith (12-0, 9 KOs) will also proudly represent England. Hull southpaw Campbell is a 2012 Olympic Gold medalist who has impressed in each of his six outings as a pro. Campbell will be squaring off against the vastly more experienced Steve Trumble (13-30, 8 KOs), of Baton Rouge, Lain a four-round bout. Liverpool’s Smith is part of a fighting family who is soaring up the 168-pound ladder. Smith looks to continue his undefeated streak in a six-rounder against Abraham Hernandez (5-0, 3 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico.
In an eight-round welterweight bout, Alan Sanchez (13-3-1, 7 KOs), of Fairfield, Calif., will take on Tijuana native Jose Luis “Zurdo” Ramirez Jr. (7-0-1, 4 KOs), and in the four-round opener, also at 147 pounds, Fabian “TNT” Maidana (1-0), the brother of Marcos “El Chino” Maidana, meets Michigan’s Phillip Soriano (0-3).
Porter vs. Brook is a 12-round fight for Porter’s IBF Welterweight World Championship promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona Extra and AT&T. In the co-main event, the WBC Super Middleweight World Champion Sakio Bika defends his belt in a rematch against Anthony Dirrell, and in the televised opener, Omar Figueroa defends his WBC Lightweight World Championship against Daniel Estrada. The event will take place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., and will air live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (SHOWTIME 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) and will be available in Spanish via secondary audio programming (SAP). Preliminary bouts will air live on SHOWTIME EXTREME (7 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast).
